THE CLARK GABLE SIGNATURE COLLECTION
Boom Town / China Seas / Dancing Lady / Mogambo / San Francisco / Wife vs. Secretary
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1933-1953
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: Various
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Standard
Audio: DD Monaural
Color/B&W: Color & B&W
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
MSRP: $59.92/$19.97 ($14.97
Mogambo)
Package: 6 discs/regular Keepcases in cardboard box.
The Feature:
The next installment in Warner’s continued support of classic titles is
The Clark Gable Signature Collection. Named as the 7th greatest actor on the American Film Institute’s list of “50 Greatest Screen Legends”, the collection marks the DVD debut of six of his films including,
Boom Town (1940),
China Seas (1935),
Dancing Lady (1933),
Mogambo (1953),
San Francisco (1936) and
Wife vs. Secretary (1936). While the collection lists for $59.92, the titles are available individually listing for $19.97 while
Mogambo will sell for $14.97.
Boom Town (1940)
Directed by Jack Conway, with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin,
Boom Town, is a romantic comedy with an all-star cast, which features Spencer Tracy and his buddy Gable who decide to head west and become oilmen. Caludette Colbert and Heddy Lamarr are women who wind up as potential love interests in their chaotic lives. Unfortunately, the group of four friends struggle through the personal turmoil as loyalties and love get in the way. They eventually strike it rich, however, a sudden accident soon puts everything in jeopardy. The film was a critical and box office success and garnered two Academy Award nominations for Cinematography and Special Effects.
China Seas (1935)
China Seas, marks the fourth film between Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. Tay Garnett directs this wisecracking romantic comedy. Captain Alan Gaskell (played by Gable) charges his ship through the dangerous waters between Hong Kong and Singapore with a secret cache of British gold aboard. Dolly Portland (played by Jean Harlow) and his sophisticated fiancée Sybil Barclay (played by Rosalind Russell) are also crew members, however the ally the captain feels he has in his secretive mistress turns out to be a dangerous adversary when she befriends fellow shipmate, Jamesey MacArdle (played by Wallace Beery). The on-board drunk Charlie McCaleb (played brilliantly by Robert Benchley), doesn’t steal the gold, but he certainly steals the show.
Dancing Lady (1933)
In
Dancing Lady, a number of screen legends give this song & dance musical a boost. The film is filled with show support by Nelson Eddy and Robert Benchley with tunes by Rodgers and Hart, Burton Lane and Dorothy Fields. The film led Joan Crawford to the biggest hit of her early career and would lead to eight other films between herself and Gable. The female lead aspires to Broadway star from chorus girl to while debating the virtues of two interested acquaintances, Franchot Tone and Clark Gable. In the final number, help comes in the form of a new kid from New York, Fred Astaire, in his first screen appearance. Even the Three Stooges make an amusing appearance.
Mogambo (1953)
Mogambo, a romantic adventurer is a remake of the 1932 film
Red Dust, which starred Jean Harlow. Gable appears once again and now teams up with Ava Gardner in a film directed by John Ford. This 1953 remake features Clark Gable, a big game hunter, to lead a safari in Kenya as his boss' wife (played by Grace Kelly) and a Broadway showgirl (played by Ava Gardner) take a sudden interest in him. The film garnered two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress (Ava Gardner) and Best Supporting Actress (Grace Kelly).
San Francisco (1936)
Blackie Norton (played by Clark Gable) and Mary Blake (played by Jeanette MacDonald) appear in
San Francisco, a musical drama. Circa 1906, Mary portrays a singer torn by her desire to fit in as an aristocrat and her sudden interest in Blackie who comes with a shady past. Spencer Tracy plays a priest who offers spiritual guidance. He tries to change Blackie but mother nature might be the only thing capable of Blackie’s transformation.
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
Wife vs. Secretary is the light and entertaining story of publisher V.S. Van Stanhope (played by Gable). Although happily married to Linda Stanhope (played by Myrna Loy), his interfering mother-in-law suggests that Stan may be involved in an adulteress affair with his loyal secretary, Whitey (played by Jean Harlow). The film also features Jimmy Stewart in one of his first roles, playing Whitey’s boyfriend.
The Features:
Boom Town 3.5/5
China Seas 4/5
Dancing Lady 3/5
Mogambo 3.5/5
San Francisco 4/5
Wife vs. Secretary 3.5/5
Video:
Presented in their OAR of 1.33:1 (from Academy), The B&W entries in this collection are all strong efforts. While the levels of grayscale vary, really the only thing that separates the majority of these transfers are the levels of marks or blemishes from title to title.
China Seas was strong in terms of grayscale, shadow and contrast levels, however there are a significant amount of scratches – some quite heavy, that appear throughout the entire film. In fact there were a couple of instances which looked like ongoing rain. There is one persistent scratch that permeates much of the film running right down the middle of it. WvS is similar to CS only it sports a little more film grain – slightly coarser, with fewer scratches however. BT looks even stronger with deeper blacks and a superior grayscale, with a few blemishes and marks that appear here throughout the film.
San Francisco displays an even better level of grayscale with blacks that were as deep as coal. The print is in par with BT in terms of marks and blemishes. Image detail is what we might expect from prints from a similar era – perhaps even better. DL must have been hidden in Al Capone’s hidden vault – this thing is almost pristine - especially impressive considering it’s the oldest film in the collection. Sure, there are a few marks and blemishes, but they are few and far between. A healthy dose of medium density film grain, solid blacks and a wide grayscale make this perhaps my favorite presentation in the set. Slightly soft, it is certainly on par with what we should expect from films of a similar vintage.
Mogambo, the only color film in the set is also presented in its OAR of 1.33:1 (from Academy) and is tired looking at times. Colors are muted – but mostly accurate - appearing only slightly red (skin tones). About an hour or so into this film, it's overall appearance is all over the place - even looking blurry at times, then, there are shots of beauty and extreme clarity. Various marks and blemishes are apparent.
Video: 3.5/5
Audio:
All of these titles are presented with a DD Monaural encoded sounded and are as basic as one might expect for an ensemble of films spanning 50 – 70 years old. The older titles have a slight hint of hiss that’s noticeable although never to point that becomes distracting. Fidelity is fine although, dialogue has a tendency to become slightly thin and edgy, particularly some of the hectic scenes as well as the musical numbers (DL). The odd pop and crackle appears infrequently but again, never becomes an issue. There’s not much punch or heft to talk about.
Mogambo, the latest film in the Collection offers a little greater range with a bit more depth and greater fidelity, but lacks any noisy anomalies.
Audio: 3.5/5
Special Features:
Listed on an individual basis, the supplemental material looks like this:
Wife vs. Secretary
First up is New Shoes. A musical short about two people falling in love and their new shoes that brought them together. Duration: 10:22 minutes
The Public Pays A Crime Does Not Pay Subject. A short about Racketeering and Organized Crime and how it is taking over the nation using the milk companies as an example. The short is in reasonably good shape. Duration: 18:18
The Theatrical Trailer appears in fair condition. Duration: 2:38 minutes
Mogambo
Only the Theatrical Trailer appears on this disc and it is in reasonably good condition. Duration: 3:22 minutes
Boom Town
Hollywood Hobbies. Two sight seeing females take a look at how Hollywood’s elite pass their time including a charity softball game full of celebrities. Duration: 9:46 minutes
Home on the Range. An MGM animated 1940 short set to the title’s theme song. The presentation here is pretty fair. Duration: 8:02 minutes
The Theatrical Trailer also appears here. Duration: 2:30 minutes
China Seas
Cherry Blossom Time in Japan. An early 1936 Technicolor short which looks at this magnificent time of the year in Japan when the Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom. Colors here are dull and all over the place but an appreciated inclusion. Duration: 8:27 minutes
A Girl’s Best Years. A Musical Comedy about a playboy playwright who uses romance as his inspiration for his plays. Duration: 18:45 minutes
Also included is the Theatrical Trailer which is in fair condition. Duration: 1:58 minutes
Dancing Lady
Next up, Plane Nuts. A vintage Musical short staring Ted Healy and the Three Stooges which is in pretty fair shape. Duration: 19:40 minutes
Roast Beet & Movies. Vintage Musical short with Curly Howard. Duration: 16:15 minutes.
The Theatrical Trailer has been included here and is in fair shape.. Duration: 1:53 minutes
San Francisco
Saving the best for last… First up here is perhaps the highlight of the special features entitled, Clark Gable: Tall, Dark & Handsome, a Turner Network Television documentary which focuses on “The King of Hollywood” hosted by Liam Neeson. The ten year old feature starts with a biography discussing the sad circumstances surrounding his children as well as his doomed marriage to Carole Lombard and his military service. The documentary also takes us through the great actor’s celebrated career including his discovery by MGM genius Irving Thalberg and the various films he appeared in. Oddly the TNT “commercial breaks” still appear… however, this is an exceptional documentary – a must for all fans. Duration: 46:27 minutes.
Next up is Bottles, an MGM Happy Harmonies Technicolor short from the same year (1936) which deals with a pharmacist who mixes up a toxic potion which leads to rather odd results. The short is in excellent condition. Duration: 10:12 minutes.
Cavalcade of San Francisco is a Technicolor Traveltalk short, produced and narrated by James Fitzpatrick. This 1940 short takes us on a color tour of the beautiful city highlighting the city’s historical focal points. Duration: 8:51 minutes.
Night Descends on Treasure Island is another Traveltalk Technicolor short – this time at night, highlighting the city’s hot spots with the focus here on the SF Palace of Fine Arts. Both of these Traveltalk features are in reasonably good shape – no better or no worse than we might expect considering their age. Duration: 8:06 minutes.
The Alternate Ending also appears and looks like it has seen a cleanup – a fantastic inclusion. Duration: 0:45 seconds.
Theatrical Trailer. Viewing the trailer will give a sense of appreciation for how good the actual film looks. Rough looking but good to have it included. Duration: 2:08 minutes.
Special Features: 4/5
**Special Features rated for the quality of supplements, not the quantity**
Final Thoughts:
Throughout the 1930’s and 40’s, Clark Gable was one of MGM’s biggest box office stars, rightfully earning him the nickname, “The King of Hollywood”. The dashing and debonair star would go on to win one Academy Award for It Happened One Night (ironically while on loan to Columbia) and would snag two more Oscar nominations with Gone With The Wind and Mutiny On The Bounty.
With the Clark Gable Signature Collection featuring the likes of Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr, Myrna Loy, Franchot Tone, Jeanette MacDonald and Jimmy Stewart, fans of classic film will be clamoring to get their hands on this set, and so they should. Warner has done a wonderful job here with the presentation and have trimmed it with a healthy array of interesting and informative supplements.
Overall Rating: 4/5 (not an average)
Recommended…!!
Release Date: June 20th, 2006